Quincy Jones, producer and giant of US entertainment, dies aged 91

Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, announced that he passed away on Sunday night at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles, surrounded by his family. 

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

Jones was arguably the most versatile pop cultural figure of the 20th century, perhaps best known for producing Michael Jackson's albums Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad in the 1980s, which helped make Jackson the biggest pop star of all time. 

Jones also produced music for legendary artists such as Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, and many others. 

Beyond his production work, he was a successful composer with numerous film scores and had several chart hits under his own name.

The family’s statement continued: "He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created. 

Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.” A renowned jazz and pop musician, Jones was also a prolific cross-genre arranger, conductor, record label executive, and civil rights advocate. 

Alongside Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, he oversaw the all-star recording of the 1985 charity record We Are The World.

Throughout his life, Jones had three marriages and seven children with five different women. 

He was first married to his high school sweetheart, Jeri Caldwell, from 1957 to 1966, with whom he had one daughter, Jolie. 

In 1967, he married Swedish model Ulla Andersson, and they had two children, Martina and Quincy Jones III, before divorcing in 1974. 

That same year, he married actress Peggy Lipton, a union that lasted until 1990 and produced two daughters, actresses Rashida and Kidada Jones. 

Jones also had a daughter, Rachel, with dancer Carol Reynolds, and another daughter, fashion model Kenya Kinski-Jones, with actress Nastassja Kinski.

Reflecting on his career in 2014, Jones told Rolling Stone, “I never thought about it until I hit 80, but I have been blessed to work with every major music star in the history of America — including Louie Armstrong.” He added, “You can’t plan that… You can’t say, ‘Mr. Sinatra, I want to work with you.’ No. You have to wait until he calls you.”

In addition to his musical legacy, Jones founded a TV and film production company in 1990, achieving major success with the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and other shows. 

He continued innovating well into his 80s, launching Qwest TV in 2017, an on-demand music TV service. Jones is third only to Beyoncé and Jay-Z in Grammy nominations, with 80 to their 88 each, and is the awards’ third most-awarded winner, with 28 Grammys.

In October 2020, President Barack Obama honored Jones with the National Medal of Arts in a ceremony held in the White House’s East Room. Jones joined the ranks of Aretha Franklin, Maya Angelou, and Ella Fitzgerald, receiving this prestigious honor for his outstanding contributions to the arts. 

According to the National Endowment for the Arts, the medal is awarded to artists who “deserve special recognition because of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support, and availability of the arts in the United States.”